MMDA to impose higher fines on EDSA bus lane violators

Here are the penalties that await drivers who use the EDSA bus lane when they aren't supposed to

MANILA, Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will impose higher fines on those who will illegally use the exclusive city bus lane along EDSA effective next Monday, November 13.

Under MMDA Regulation No. 23-002, the increased fines for both public and private vehicles are:

• First offense – P5,000
• Second offense – P10,000 plus one-month suspension of driver’s license, and required to undergo a road safety seminar
• Third offense – P20,000 plus one-year suspension of driver’s license
• Fourth offense – P30,000 plus recommendation to Land Transportation Office for revocation of driver’s license

These fines mark a significant increase from the current penalty of P1,000. The MMDA justified the need for stiffer penalties, citing repeated violations by some drivers they have apprehended.

“We noticed that there are several vehicles repeatedly passing [through the EDSA bus lane], and they are willing to pay P1,000 each time because they can afford to pay,” MMDA Acting Chairman Don Artes said in a briefing on Monday, November 6.

Since the start of 2023, the MMDA has apprehended a total of 11,027 vehicles for unlawfully using the EDSA bus lane.

Artes stressed that the agency seeks to ensure the safety of motorists and the uninterrupted travel of authorized city buses operating in their designated lane.

Based on MMDA Regulation No. 20-002, ambulances, fire trucks, and those responding to an emergency – involving a medical situation, peace and order, public safety and security, or disaster – can also use the EDSA bus lane. – Rappler.com